


A Voice From Home

by elderwitty, squidgie



Series: Citrus Hill [17]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, Series: Citrus Hill'verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-26 10:25:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2648630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elderwitty/pseuds/elderwitty, https://archiveofourown.org/users/squidgie/pseuds/squidgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'verse summary: AU. Rodney was bad at work, and has been exiled by SGC to a tiny town outside of Gainesville, Florida. This is the story of Rodney's time in Citrus Hill, a handsome guy named John who he meets under less-than-optimal circumstances, and how he learns a bit about life in the South.</p>
<p>Story summary: John's had to make a trip to Cheyenne Mountain Complex by himself, and gets lonely, so he decides to call home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Voice From Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rhuad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhuad/gifts).



> For rhuad, who asked for a fall moment from Citrus Hill in my LJ a few weeks back. Sorry about the delay, sweets!

John sighs as he walks out into the crisp Colorado night, the stars shining bright on him. He smiles as he opens his phone, and can almost hear Rodney in his head chiding him at being, "one of the last remaining humans without a _modern_ phone. Seriously, Sheppard, the Amish are more advanced than you."

He pressed a few buttons to bring up Rodney's phone number and hits dial, raising the handset to his ear. It takes a few rings before he hears, "Rodney McKay," from the other end of the line, an irritated voice sounding through.

"Hey, Rodney," John says. And just the sound of Rodney's voice, frustrated or not, grounds him and reminds him of his home back in Citrus Hill. "What's up?"

There's a brief pause, though John can clearly hear Rodney stomping through his rental house, then the sound of a chair sliding against the hardwood floors. "What's wrong?" Rodney asks. "Did you break something? I swear, Sheppard, if you broke Atlantis-"

"Jesus, McKay - shut the hell up!" John replies, cutting him off. "I just... I just miss you, that's all."

Sighing, Rodney says, "Oh shit... It's worse than I thought - they made you talk to Heigthmeyer? What, did she break you?"

"No," John replies impatiently. "Just... Usually when I'm out here, you're here with me." He kicks at a rock, then nods to a guard that turns to see what the noise was, then gives the guard a mea culpa look. 

"Then have the Daedalus bring you home for a couple of days. Besides, Jethro misses you so much that he tried to kill me in my sleep last night. Again."

John smiles at the visual, and then furrows his brow in confusion. "Wait, the Pembertons are home, so why are you watching Jethro?"

"I ran into the Pembertons at Skeeters on Sunday, which - by the way, they invited us over for Thanksgiving next week. Anyway, when Mrs. Pemberton found out you were gone, she asked if I could watch him for a couple of days. She said her arthritis was acting up, but I think-"

"She _knows_ how much you love that dog, Rodney," John replies, not able to hide the smile from showing in his voice. "So what're you doing?" John asks.

"Sitting at my kitchen table with an ancient dog drooling on my socks and talking to my boyfriend while I try and figure out what Zelenka's doing to my city," Rodney responds. "Why?"

"Just..." John looks up, catching a shooting start. "Hey, head out onto your back deck for me, will ya?"

There's another sigh, and then an "Ooph" from Rodney's side of the phone, and John can barely hear Rodney mutter, "Damn dog," over the scraping sound of the chair's legs. There're a few more stomping sounds and finally the sound of a door opening. "Okay, I'm outside."

Glancing up at the sky, John asks, "Can you see Cassiopeia yet?" as he spots the 'W' shaped constellation towards the East.

There's a hmming sound from the other end of the line, then Rodney comes back and says, "Yes, yes. I see it. So what? New nebulae or something that we can't see yet from Earth?"

"Naah," John replies. "Just cool that we're a couple thousand miles apart, but we can still see the same thing."

"Seriously, _Fivel_ are you okay? Is there a reason that we're outside, you probably in the cold without a jacket and it's like 18 degrees there, staring up at light from a star that's so far away, that the star's probably been dead and burned out for a few millennia?"

"Have I ever told you what a romantic you are, Rodney?" John asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey - love me, love my gloomy outlook on the universe," Rodney says, and John can't help but smile.

Not overthinking it, John instantly replies, "I do, you know..." After a beat, Rodney giving him another 'hmm' noise, John replies. "You know. Love you."

The silence hangs there for a second, and John is almost tempted to ask if Rodney is still on the line when he hears, "Well, you know... Me, too."

There's another pause in the conversation, and suddenly John hears Rodney quickly stomping back into the house, and the slamming of a door. "Rodney?" he asks. "What's going on?"

"Can't talk," is all Rodney replies. "Packing a bag. Make sure the Daedalus is in orbit and have them pick me up." After a few more bustling noises, and the sound of Jethro's leash being clicked onto his collar, Rodney adds, "I'm coming out there."

Grinning as he rubs a hand across the back of his neck, John just replies, "Cool," and then heads back inside the Mountain Complex.


End file.
